do y’all ever have so many scenes you want to write that picking one becomes impossible so just…don’t write anything?
Yes. Welcome to executive dysfunction as applied to writing! Doesn’t it suck?
While I realize you, specifically, might not have been asking for advice on this, I’m going to give some anyway for writeblr in general, because writing advice is a thing I do sometimes.
You have a few options, and you might have to try more than one before you get back on track.
1. Force yourself to write chronologically, picking the scene that you know would fall earliest in the story. Pro: overall consistency–when you write in chronological order, you naturally remember at least some of what came before and avoid the minor plot holes and inconsistencies that crop up when you write scenes out of order. Con: you may not know what scene comes first. You may be least excited about that scene. You may be writing a story structure where linear time isn’t as important.
2. Write the scene you’re most excited about. Pro: you’re capitalizing on your enthusiasm to increase your motivation. You’ll definitely feel better when you’ve got that scene down on paper. Con: sometimes you won’t even know which scene that is–another peril of executive dysfunction. Sometimes the mere act of choosing based on any sort of personal preference feels overwhelming–if so, try #1 if you haven’t, or keep going down the list.
3. Write a brief synopsis (doesn’t have to be more than a paragraph) describing each scene, instead of working on any one scene. Pro: you won’t lose any of your scene ideas this way, even if none of them gets fully written–you come back to them later when you’re feeling more up to writing. And by pre-writing these scenes, the process may make your decision for you about which to work on, if you find yourself writing more (and in more detail) on one than the others. Con: Depending on how many scenes you’ve got floating around in your head, this can involve a fair bit of work. And if you’re feeling the urge to write rather than plan, synopses and other pre-writing tasks can feel just as frustrating as not knowing what to write.
4. Write something else entirely for a while, like a journal entry. Pro: sometimes you need to clear your head before you can get to work, and if you’re trying to choose between A, B, and C, then going with D instead gets you outside of the framework of the choice that was hampering you. You can come back to that choice when you feel more focused. Con: I’m always pro-venting when it’s needed, but it does suck up time. If you have limited time to write for your session, this will eat into it and not necessarily leave you with any real “work” done. And for anyone with any sort of issues surrounding emotion management (depression, anxiety, all sorts of neurodivergent conditions I couldn’t even begin to list because I’m sure I don’t know them all) there’s the possibility that “venting” this way could make things worse instead of better, if you tend to spiral out of control. That’s up to you and your self-awareness to handle.
5. Set writing aside for now and do something else, preferably something that will improve your mood or your environment. self-care, bitches! Whether this is loading your dishwasher because you’re behind on your chores, or playing half an hour of video games to relax, that’s for you to decide. (And maybe that decision will still be difficult, but if your executive dysfunction is kicking your butt about writing, maybe getting away from the writing, it won’t be so bad.) Take a shower. Have a snack. Sit outside for a while and listen to the birds singing.
I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety for years, and executive dysfunction is a fun and annoying sidekick with both of those conditions. I’m speaking from my own experience, and not everything I’ve said is going to work for everyone, nor is the same solution that works for you once always going to be the right one. Don’t ever follow any self-care or similar advice like this if doing so makes you feel worse rather than better. Remember that you are unique and I can’t know exactly how to help, only to give guidelines and hope for the best.
